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These birds were stuffed with rice/cotton fiberfill and sewn using various fabrics and overlays. Each beak is a different size (I thought it may help to lend each bird a unique personality). I am going to bring these little guys into my new internship site as a thank you to the amazing bereavement team who have welcomed me and taught me valuable lessons regarding the agency setting/procedure, as well as griefwork (including the much-necessary self-care element!). I'm hoping that they will bring a bit of brightness to each and every one of their lives - of everyone I have met, these people deserve a big old blast of sunshine to counter the darkness of their professional lives.

Bunny for Birthday

I made this double-sided bunny for my friend's birthday (Happy Birthday Jesserz!!!!). I completely winged the whole thing, making it up as I went along. I also used stabilizer for the first time (thanks for the tip Mommerz!) and found that it makes machine sewing lightweight fabrics SO much easier (meaning my machine no longer EATS them)! The bunny was made for Jess because I think its qualities capture her playfulness, energy, quirks, humor, sass, and wit.

Side 1

Side 2

Lying Down

A Special Gift for a Special Friend

My friend agreed to do me and my internship site a huge favor in this coming week. To show her my appreciation I crafted a stuffed dog with the yellow eyes and pinkish-red snout of her very-missed dog back home in Wisconsin. I had no idea what I was doing, but I did discover that using rice to stuff certain areas provides good weight to hold large pieces upright. I'm still having a whole lot of trouble embroidering the facial features (but I just received a nifty book on embroidery stitches that I plan to practice). Another little trick I came up with was using distress ink to give the cream-colored fur a slightly dirty appearance (because what dog is ever perfectly clean?). I also thought the hint of color added some personality to Finny. Once again, thank you special friend :)

Finny kept me company at the sewing station before he was given to his Momma.

Finny's yellow eyes and pinkish snout.

Finny partied with us on July 4th.

Finny before I put on his goofy face.

Inspired by Ruth

Ruth Rae has long been one of my favorite mixed media fiber artists. Her book, "Layered, Tattered, and Stitched" is filled with useful ideas and tutorials related to a variety of fiber-based methods and projects. What drew me to Ruth was her playful approach to sewing and nontraditional methods. For instance, she loves burning and free-form sewing. Her projects are like textural collages that capture the eye and force it to dance over the page, following abundant lines and soothing organic colors. I decided to employ her method of free-form layering to create a cover for a fiber book. This project is still in process, but I wanted to share what I have so far and give a shout-out to one of my favorite artists. Thank you Ruth!

A Good First Project

"Somerset Sew" is my new favorite thing. It is filled with inspiration, and even better - guides to techniques used by artists featured in the magazine. Penny Klaproth came up with this brilliant idea of a "Sewing Supply Keeper". I used to keep my needles in an old stuffed sock. This idea allows you to practice with your sewing machine while creating something both functional and beautiful.

Penny recommends using upholstery fabric scraps and felt for the needle sections. I used scraps of fabric "up-cycled" from pants found at thrift stores. Make sure to create all individual pages before sewing them together. I used pieces of felt as a kind of batting between sewn pages to give the book a more sturdy feel. Once done needles can be stored inside the book on pieces of felt, or any other fabric that needles can easily pass through. Once complete this little book makes a great travelling kit or gift to a fellow crafter.

I rushed my piece and finished it in one sitting, which I wouldn't recommend to anyone. The more time you put into it the better the craftsmanship will be in the end (my project shows what happens when something is rushed!)

Front Cover

Back Cover (Letting the ribbon hang out makes it easy to open the book)

Nifty Needles

Dreaming on Paper

Kelly P. Colstom, a mixed media artist currently featured in "Somerset Sew", inspired me with her one-word prompted collage projects.

First you tape the edges of a piece of cardstock. Next, you start with a simple one word prompt, such as "orange", "petal", or "triangle". For my project I chose "crackle". Then you proceed to make the collage. Don't try to make anything "pretty", just let colors, textures, and words lead you. Follow your first instinct. I utilized tracing paper, acrylics, matte medium, and various scraps of paper to create my collage. I then layered the papers on top of one another, topped off with the tracing paper. The tracing paper "crackled" when exposed to heat so I continued to expose its edges and burn. I love the way thin paper curls up when burnt - it creates a sort of softness that catches the eye when juxtaposed with burnt edges.

To finish off Colston recommends working over the collage on a sewing machine. I tried this technique but unfortunately my sewing machine wasn't able to handle the thickness of the cardstock. For those of you that do use a sewing machine make sure that your piece is thoroughly dried before doing so. As an alternative I used embroidery thread as a form of "free thought".

Some quotes by Colston that I fell in love with:

"A collage is like a dream on paper."

"Embrace (collage) with the eye of an adult, but the heart of a child."

Start with a collage on cardstock, with painters tape sealing off the edges.

Use layering to achieve interesting effects, letting portions of underlying layers show through.

Just like "free form" writing, let your needle do as it wants.

Use colors that appeal to you. Don't second-guess yourself. Just grab and go.

Thank you Kelly Colstom!

My Very First Sewing Machine

It's been on my wish list for a very long time and it has finally happened - I just purchased my very own sewing machine. It is an incredibly affordable Singer "Simple" sewing machine; the name belies its user-friendly qualities. On the very first night I was able to wind the bottom, thread the upper needle, and install the bobbin to ready the machine for sewing.

Because of its ease I recommend this machine to any beginning sewer like myself. Unfortunately it doesn't work well with "alternative" mediums like cardstock or any heavy papers (I tried and trust me, it didn't go well).

With Adam's help I set myself up with a little sewing station. It is important for me to have a creative space to start with, it serves as a sort of inspiration in and of itself. To say I'm excited doesn't quite cover it. I'm overrun with ideas and can't wait to experiment with this nifty little machine. I may not have any idea what I'm doing, but sometimes being self-taught opens yourself up to more freedom with mediums because you aren't constrained by "traditional" modes of practice.

If anyone has any tips or tricks for working with sewing machines please let me know!

No Sewing Machine Will Stop Me

So, I may not have a sewing machine, but I have my hands, dedication, scraps, and a needle n' thread. I was inspired by Becky Shander's quilt, which is featured in the current edition of Somerset Studios magazine (which I recommend to any lover of crafts).

I had no idea how to approach creating a quilt of my own so I decided to "wing it". First I gathered scraps of fabric and items I've held onto over the years. Every component in this piece has a special personal meaning.

My challenge with this project was to not create something that was "beautiful", but rather meaningful. In essence, it was a practice in letting go. As usual, the craft of hand-sewing lent itself to meditation and thoughtfulness (and honestly, a wish for a sewing machine). I felt connected to my mother and grandmother, who both inspire me with their creativity and proclivity for fabric art. Beyond that, I felt connected to the spirit of women who had used sewing as a route to community and inspiration.

Each square was created separately. An overlay of fabric was placed on each square to provide a sort of protective barrier between the items and viewer. This was an act of my own assertion. I utilized burning for most of this piece, which greatly upset my husband who had to deal with the fumes (I'm crossing my fingers that they weren't toxic). After each square was created I decided to make each one it's own separate "pillow" (I didn't have money to go buy the traditional "batting" for quilts). I had no idea what I was doing, but was able to create a dimensional effect using cotton stuffing (some of which I had to steal from my dog's toys). So to all you crafters out there - grab some scraps, memorabilia, meaningful writing, and even trash - and make it special.

Terry Bear: Learning

I've recently been on somewhat of a "sewing binge". I'm determined to make a terry cloth bear for my friend's newborn baby. I have gone through 5 bears already (all of which have been given to my dog Maya - who is very happy). The problem is that I don't know embroidery, which is the safest way to create facial features (the baby may chew on anything else). I tried my hand at embroidery and made what turned out to be an incredibly angry face, a blurry face, and a sad face. I finally decided to create the face of what will hopefully be my last bear with felt and non-toxic fabric glue. I am really happy with the results, but worry about giving this bear to the baby. I worry that the felt and glue may pose a danger. Maybe I'll give it to the Momma instead and try embroidery again. Does anyone out there know any good stitches for facial features (please - not too advanced)? Thanks for the help and time :)

Sewing Attempt Failure: Dino - Bird

One of my goals for this summer (which I just realized I left out of my Summer Goals posting) is to familiarize myself with new mediums - such as sewing. I love all things birds - nests, eggs, feathers, etc. I downloaded a bird template offline and decided to create my own fabric using a sheet of muslim and fabric markers. I was originally going to create "oil spill" birds (hence the black swirls) - but my attempt did not go as I planned. I was able to follow the template...... up until the whole sewing everything together part. I took matters into my own hands and improvised my own template and created what turned out to be more of a "dinosaur/bird". However, I did learn a few valuable lessons:

1. Always follow directions, especially when you are sewing. Unless you want your project to turn into a disaster like this.

2. Making your own fabrics is fun, fast, cheap - and leaves you open to more possibilities!

3. Because I am hand-sewing I learned the importance of making very fine stitches when you are stuffing anything, otherwise the cotton will poke through.

4. Do not stuff too much or the piece will turn out horribly rigid.

5. Next time you try to embark on a sewing project you may want to ask your much more knowledgeable friends for advice beforehand!

On the upside, this failure left me inspired and more motivated than ever to learn sewing. Today I treated myself to a new book on "Stuffed Friends" and some fabrics at Hancocks. I plan on making a gift for my friend's newborn baby and a stuffed dog for myself (the fur is amazing, it reminded me of my own dog, so i had to buy it).